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Story arcs
Story arcs are story lines in Star Trek that are told over the course of multiple episodes. They are not simply two-parters or recurring characters and themes, but rather plots that are interwoven with other arcs and plot threads. An example of this is s introduction of the Dominion and the eventual Dominion War. Story arcs often take precedence over other plot elements and consume a series for several consecutive episodes, but in many cases (such as the Dominion War) they may take a back seat and re-enter the picture later on. Prior to DS9, story arcs were a relatively minor part of the Star Trek universe. and both largely restored the status quo ante at the end of each episode, and even two-part episodes were somewhat rare. This changed due to the stationary nature of space station Deep Space 9, which did not simply move on to the next adventure each week; characters' actions had lasting consequences, and the events of one episode directly influenced the next. At the time, Ira Steven Behr had to fight with over making the show so serialized. took the idea of the story arc in a different direction by setting itself aboard a starship as per the traditional Trek formula but stranding its crew in the distant Delta Quadrant. This both enhanced and reduced the prevalence of story arcs; while alien races such as the Kazon and Borg appeared in multiple episodes, the show was hampered by its very nature: the object was to leave familiar elements behind, which meant each plot thread had a limited life span. , like DS9 before it, often relied on story arcs such as the Temporal Cold War and the Xindi arc that took up the entire third season. By the show's fourth season, Enterprise wrapped up these story arcs and instead refocused on the show's prequel concept with a series of "mini arcs." Most season four episodes are two- or three-part story lines, with few stand-alone episodes. Feature-length episodes These episodes are originally broadcast in two hours, as opposed to the standard one hour. After their original run, feature length episodes are re-cut as two part episodes (see below), but are usually released in their original broadcast format as a single episode. They include: * ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** * ** Two-part episodes These episodes air separately, but tell the same story. It is typical for the first part to end with the line "To Be Continued...". They are frequently used to end and begin seasons. Two-part episodes include: * ** and * ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and * ** and ** and (see below) ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and (see below) ** and (see below) * ** and ** and ** "Scorpion" and "Scorpion, Part II" ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and * ** and ** and ** and ** and ** and * ** and Three-part episodes Three consecutive episodes that air separately, but tell the same story. * ** , , * ** , , and ** , , and ** , , and * ** , , and * ** , , and ** , , and ** , , and Multi-episode arcs Multi-episode arcs tell a continuing story and are spread out through several different episodes throughout one or multiple seasons. ''The Next Generation'' * Q and the Enterprise ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Worf vs. Duras ** ** ** ** ** ** * Sela ** ** ** ** ** ** ''Deep Space Nine'' *Changeling Infiltration ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *Klingon War ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Eddington vs. Sisko ** ** ** * Dominion Invasion ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * The Final Chapter ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ''Voyager'' * Voyager vs the Kazon ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Q Civil War ** ** ** * The Hirogen's Hunt ** ** ** ** ** ** * Barclay and the Pathfinder Project ** ** ** ** ''Enterprise'' *Temporal Cold War ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * vs. Andoria ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Journey to Risa ** ** ** *Archer's trial by the Klingons ** ** ** * Xindi War ** ** [[ENT Season 3|The entire third season of Enterprise]] ** ** ** Subject arcs Section 31 22nd century episodes * ** ** ** ** 23rd century episodes * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 24th century episodes * ** ** ** , , and have often been referenced in non-canon literature as having Section 31 involvement. also references a "secret section of Starfleet Security", which may be a reference to Section 31.|See also: Section 31 episodes}} The mirror universe * ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** * ** * ** ** ** ** ** The alternate reality * ** ** ** Q Q-related episodes * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** * ** ** ** Non-consecutive arcs Starting in... The Original Series *The Talosians ** and * Polywater intoxication ** and * Shore Leave Planet ** and * Kor ** , , * Cyrano Jones and his tribbles ** and , however no significant historical events are altered.}} *Arne Darvin ** and * Khan Noonien Singh ** , and * The ** , , The Next Generation * DaiMon Bok and his revenge attempts on Picard ** and * The Traveler and his interactions with Wesley Crusher ** *Lore ** * The Crystalline Entity ** and * Alien neural parasites infiltrate Starfleet Command ** and .}} * Professor James Moriarty ** and *Arridor and ** and * Vash and her relationship with Jean-Luc Picard and Q ** and , and *Thomas Riker ** and * Riker and the Pegasus ** and * Borg and First Contact (the Borg's involvement with Earth's first contact in 2063 and the repercussions which followed) ** , , and Deep Space Nine * Anti-alien sentiments on Bajor ** , and * Bajor's entry into the Federation ** DS9 Season 1, 2, 3 and through 4, * The Maquis struggle for self-determination ** ; ; ; various DS9 episodes until * The Dominion's threat to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants ** through * Kira and Odo ** , , * Kira and Dukat ** , , , , and * Quark and Grilka ** * O'Brien and Liam Bilby ** * Dominion cold war ** , DS9 Season 4 (esp. ), Voyager * The Hirogen and holographic technology ** * The Silver Blood ** * Q Continuum ** * Fair Haven ** Enterprise * Augments and Khan Noonien Singh ** , , , and * Xenophobic Humans ** Discovery * Harry Mudd ** , , , and fr:Arc narratif it:Archi narrativi Category:Plot devices